Canon 1D Mark II vs T4i

The Canon EOS-1D Mark II and the Canon EOS Rebel T4i (labelled Canon 650D in some countries) are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively,
in January 2004 and June 2012. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are based on an APS-H (1D Mark II) and an APS-C (T4i) sensor. The 1D Mark II has a resolution of 8.2 megapixels, whereas the T4i provides 17.9 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Canon EOS-1D Mark II and the
Canon EOS Rebel T4i? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors,
their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 1D Mark II vs T4i

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Canon 1D Mark II and the Canon T4i. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Canon T4i is considerably smaller (46 percent) than the Canon 1D Mark II. Moreover, the T4i is substantially lighter (63 percent) than the 1D Mark II. It is worth mentioning in this context that the 1D Mark II is splash and dust resistant,
while the T4i does not feature any corresponding weather-sealing.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses
that both of these cameras require. A larger imaging sensor (as in the 1D Mark II) will tend to go along with bigger and heavier lenses,
while more compact options are available for the smaller-sensor camera (T4i).
You can compare the optics available in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

Concerning battery life, the 1D Mark II gets 1200 shots out of its NP-E3 battery,
while the T4i can take 440 images on a single charge of its LP-E8 power pack. As can be seen in the images above, the 1D Mark II has a battery grip built in. This facilitates image-taking in portrait orientation
and gives it additional battery power. In order to provide similar functionality for the T4i, Canon provides the BG-E8 vertical grip as an optional accessory
(see here on eBay).

The following table provides a synthesis of the main physical specifications of the two cameras and other similar ones. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left
arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and
make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will obviously take relative prices into account. The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices give an idea on the placement of the camera in the maker’s lineup and the broader market. The T4i was launched at a markedly lower price (by 81 percent) than the 1D Mark II, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Canon 1D Mark II vs T4i

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Canon 1D Mark II features an APS-H sensor and the Canon T4i
an APS-C sensor. The sensor area in the T4i is 39 percent smaller. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 1.3 and 1.6. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Despite having a smaller sensor, the T4i offers a higher
resolution of 17.9 megapixels, compared with 8.2 MP of the 1D Mark II.
This megapixels advantage comes at the cost of a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel
(with a pixel pitch of 4.31μm versus 8.17μm for the 1D Mark II). However, it should be noted that the T4i is much more recent (by 8 years and 4 months) than the 1D Mark II, and its sensor
will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that make it possible to gather light more efficiently.

The T4i has on-sensor phase detect pixels, which results in fast and reliable autofocus acquisition even during live view operation.

The Canon EOS-1D Mark II has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 1600, which can be extended to ISO 50-3200.
The corresponding ISO settings for the Canon EOS Rebel T4i are ISO 100 to ISO 12800, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 100-25600.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for many cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. Of the two cameras under review, the 1D Mark II has a notably higher overall DXO score than the T4i (overall score 4 points higher), which gives it an advantage in terms of imaging quality. This advantage is based on 0.6 bits higher color depth, 0.1 EV of lower dynamic range, and 0.5 stops in additional low light sensitivity. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

Camera Model

Sensor Class

Resolution (MP)

Horiz. Pixels

Vert. Pixels

Video Format

DXO Portrait

DXO Landscape

DXO Sports

DXO Overall

Camera Model

Canon 1D Mark II»

APS-H

8.2

3504

2336

-

22.3

11.1

1003

66

Canon 1D Mark II

Canon T4i«

APS-C

17.9

5184

3456

1080/30p

21.7

11.2

722

62

Canon T4i

Canon 5DS«»

Full Frame

50.3

8688

5792

1080/30p

24.7

12.4

2381

87

Canon 5DS

Canon 5DS R«»

Full Frame

50.3

8688

5792

1080/30p

24.6

12.4

2308

86

Canon 5DS R

Canon T6s«»

APS-C

24.0

6000

4000

1080/30p

22.6

12.0

915

70

Canon T6s

Canon T5«»

APS-C

17.9

5184

3456

1080/30p

21.9

11.3

724

63

Canon T5

Canon T5i«»

APS-C

17.9

5184

3456

1080/30p

21.7

11.2

681

61

Canon T5i

Canon T3i«»

APS-C

17.9

5184

3456

1080/30p

22.1

11.5

793

65

Canon T3i

Canon T2i«»

APS-C

17.9

5184

3456

1080/30p

22.1

11.5

784

66

Canon T2i

Canon 1D Mark IV«»

APS-H

16.0

4896

3264

1080/30p

22.8

12.0

1320

74

Canon 1D Mark IV

Canon 1D Mark III«»

APS-H

10.1

3888

2592

-

22.7

11.7

1078

71

Canon 1D Mark III

Canon 1Ds Mark III«»

Full Frame

21.0

5616

3744

-

24.0

12.0

1663

80

Canon 1Ds Mark III

Canon 1D Mark II N«»

APS-H

8.2

3504

2336

-

22.3

11.2

975

66

Canon 1D Mark II N

Canon 5D«»

Full Frame

12.7

4368

2912

-

22.9

11.1

1368

71

Canon 5D

Canon 1Ds Mark II«»

Full Frame

16.6

4992

3328

-

23.3

11.3

1480

74

Canon 1Ds Mark II

Canon 1Ds«»

Full Frame

11.0

4064

2704

-

21.8

11.0

954

63

Canon 1Ds

Canon 1D«»

APS-H

4.1

2496

1662

-

-

-

-

-

Canon 1D

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The T4i indeed provides for movie recording, while the 1D Mark II does not. The highest resolution format that the T4i can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison: Canon 1D Mark II vs T4i

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The 1D Mark II and the T4i are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder.
The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The viewfinder in the 1D Mark II offers a wider field of view (100%) than the one in the
T4i (95%), so that a larger proportion of the captured image is visible in the finder. In addition,
the viewfinder of the 1D Mark II has a higher magnification (0.55x vs 0.53x),
so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 1D Mark II and Canon T4i in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

Camera Model

Viewfinder (Type or '000 dots)

Control Panel (yes/no)

LCD Size (inch)

LCD Resolution ('000 dots)

LCD Attach- ment

Touch Screen (yes/no)

Mech Shutter Speed

Shutter Flaps (1/sec)

Built-in Flash (yes/no)

Built-in Image Stab

Camera Model

Canon 1D Mark II»

optical

Y

2.0

230

fixed

n

1/8000s

8.3

n

n

Canon 1D Mark II

Canon T4i«

optical

n

3.0

1040

swivel

Y

1/4000s

5.0

Y

n

Canon T4i

Canon 5DS«»

optical

Y

3.2

1040

fixed

n

1/8000s

5.0

n

n

Canon 5DS

Canon 5DS R«»

optical

Y

3.2

1040

fixed

n

1/8000s

5.0

n

n

Canon 5DS R

Canon T6s«»

optical

Y

3.0

1040

swivel

Y

1/4000s

5.0

Y

n

Canon T6s

Canon T5«»

optical

n

3.0

460

fixed

n

1/4000s

3.0

Y

n

Canon T5

Canon T5i«»

optical

n

3.0

1040

swivel

Y

1/4000s

5.0

Y

n

Canon T5i

Canon T3i«»

optical

n

3.0

1040

swivel

n

1/4000s

3.7

Y

n

Canon T3i

Canon T2i«»

optical

n

3.0

1040

fixed

n

1/4000s

3.7

Y

n

Canon T2i

Canon 1D Mark IV«»

optical

Y

3.0

920

fixed

n

1/8000s

10.0

n

n

Canon 1D Mark IV

Canon 1D Mark III«»

optical

Y

3.0

230

fixed

n

1/8000s

10.0

n

n

Canon 1D Mark III

Canon 1Ds Mark III«»

optical

Y

3.0

230

fixed

n

1/8000s

5.0

n

n

Canon 1Ds Mark III

Canon 1D Mark II N«»

optical

Y

2.5

230

fixed

n

1/8000s

8.5

n

n

Canon 1D Mark II N

Canon 5D«»

optical

Y

2.5

230

fixed

n

1/8000s

3.0

n

n

Canon 5D

Canon 1Ds Mark II«»

optical

Y

2.0

230

fixed

n

1/8000s

4.0

n

n

Canon 1Ds Mark II

Canon 1Ds«»

optical

Y

2.0

120

fixed

n

1/8000s

3.0

n

n

Canon 1Ds

Canon 1D«»

optical

Y

2.0

120

fixed

n

1/16000s

8.0

n

n

Canon 1D

One feature that is present on the 1D Mark II, but is missing on the T4i is a top-level LCD.
While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

The T4i has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing. This characteristic will be appreciated by
vloggers and photographers who are interested in taking selfies. In contrast, the 1D Mark II does not have a selfie-screen.

The 1D Mark II writes its imaging data to Compact Flash or SD cards, while the T4i uses SDXC cards. The 1D Mark II features dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails. In contrast, the T4i
only has one slot. The T4i supports UHS-I cards (Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s), while the 1D Mark II cannot take advantage of Ultra High Speed SD cards.

Connectivity comparison: Canon 1D Mark II vs T4i

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS-1D Mark II and Canon EOS Rebel T4i and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

Camera Model

Hotshoe Port

Internal Microphone

Internal Speaker

Microphone Port

Headphone Port

HDMI Port

USB Type

WiFi Support

NFC Support

Bluetooth Support

Camera Model

Canon 1D Mark II»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

1.1

-

-

-

Canon 1D Mark II

Canon T4i«

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon T4i

Canon 5DS«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

3.0

-

-

-

Canon 5DS

Canon 5DS R«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

3.0

-

-

-

Canon 5DS R

Canon T6s«»

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

Y

Y

-

Canon T6s

Canon T5«»

Y

mono

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon T5

Canon T5i«»

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon T5i

Canon T3i«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon T3i

Canon T2i«»

Y

stereo

-

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon T2i

Canon 1D Mark IV«»

Y

stereo

-

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 1D Mark IV

Canon 1D Mark III«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 1D Mark III

Canon 1Ds Mark III«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 1Ds Mark III

Canon 1D Mark II N«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

1.1

-

-

-

Canon 1D Mark II N

Canon 5D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 5D

Canon 1Ds Mark II«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 1Ds Mark II

Canon 1Ds«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

FW

-

-

-

Canon 1Ds

Canon 1D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

FW

-

-

-

Canon 1D

Studio photographers will appreciate that the Canon 1D Mark II (unlike the T4i) features a PC Sync socket, so that professional strobe lights
can be controlled by the camera.

Both the 1D Mark II and the T4i have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used
on eBay. The 1D Mark II was replaced by the Canon 1D Mark II N, while the T4i was followed by the Canon T5i. Further information on the two cameras (e.g. user guides, manuals), as well as related accessories, can be found on the official Canon website.

Review summary: Canon 1D Mark II vs T4i

So how do things add up? Is there a clear favorite between the Canon 1D Mark II and the Canon T4i? Which camera is better? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Faster buffer clearing: Has an SD card interface that supports the UHS-I standard.

More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (81 percent cheaper at launch).

More modern: Reflects 8 years and 4 months of technical progress since the 1D Mark II launch.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the T4i emerges as the winner of the match-up (16 : 13 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges
from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera
is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

1D Mark II 13:16 T4i

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Canon 1D Mark II and the Canon T4i place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest
Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the 1D Mark II or the T4i perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.

Expert reviews: Canon 1D Mark II vs T4i

This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, and photographyblog). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge,
reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just use the search menu below. As an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.